Adjustable belt connector for closure operators



Dec. 13, 1949 A. c. SCINTA ADJUSTABLE BELT CONNECTOR FOR CLOSURE OPERATORS Filed May 25, 1944 m m. m mm m W Dr N m A w M QNHWL B Q 7 .1 9w fin Patented Dec. 13, 1949 ADJUSTABLE BELT CONNECTOR FOR CLOSURE OPERATORS Anthony C. Scinta, Bufialo, N. Y., assignor to Trico Products Corporation, Bulfalo, N. Y.

Application May 25, 1944, Serial No. 537,270

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a closure operator and is primarily designed for effecting the adjustment of the window of an automobile in its vertical guideways from and to a fully closed position.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an efficient operating mechanism which is of practical design for facilitating its installation in confined quarters such as in the window Wells of motor vehicles.

More particularly the invention comprehends the use of a single flexible cable or member so arranged to provide a pair of substantially parallel active flights for adjustably supporting the window panel, with means to facilitate the taking up of any slack in the two flights by a single operation on the flexible member.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the present invention as applied to the motor vehicle window; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are detailed views illustrating the slack take-up means for the flexible member.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral I designates a closure or window panel which is mounted in vertical guides 2 for opening and closing movement. Motor vehicle windows are of varyin shapes and when they are beveled, as shown in Fig. 1, one vertical edge of the window panel will be considerably reduced in length relative to the opposite vertical edge. This reduction in the vertical edge at one side of the window requires the special counterbalance means to prevent the window from canting or binding in its guideways. With the present arrangement the counterbalance means may be eliminated since even and well guided support is provided for the closure panel by a pair of active flights 3 and 4, each suitably supported on an upper pulley 5 and a lower pulley 6. The frame member i carried by the panel I is provided with depending brackets 8 and 9 which are respectively connected to the active flights 3 and 4 to transmit up and down movement to the window upon like movement of the flexible members.

The flights 3 and 4 form component parts of a single flexible member, the flight 3, after taking over its upper pulley 5 continuing at In horizontally across to the companion upper pulley 5 about which it passes downwardly at II to the underlying pulley 6 and thence back to the latter pulley 5 to provide the active flight 4 but this time taking about such pulley beneath or alongside of the portion In and terminating in an end portionI 2. A bracket i3 is fastened securely to this end portion I2 and is provided with an opening I4 through which the part II freely extends. A second terminal portion I5 overlying the idle flight II and taking about the adjacent pulley 6 is provided with a bracket part I6 which is adjustably secured to the bracket part I3 by a bolt I1 having a nut I8 so arranged that upon turning the bolt the two bracket parts will be correspondingly adjusted. This arrangement serves as a cross-over connector link to bring the terminal portions of the endless flexible member from one side to the other of the idle flight I I, the terminal portion I5 joining with the lower end of the active flight 3 through an actuator member 20. The terminal portions together with the connector actually constitute a second idle flight extending alongside of the idle flight II.

The actuator member 20 is illustrated in the form of a piston operating under fluid pressure in a chamber 2|, the opposite ends of the chamber being connected by conduits 22 and 23 to a. pressure supply line 24 which leads to the source of power such as the intake manifold of the motor vehicle engine. Valves 25 and 25 in the conduits are manipulated for creating the required pressure difierential on the piston by which the single, endless flexible member may be moved to regulate the window.

From the foregoing it will be observed that movement of the piston in one direction or the other will effect corresponding movement of the active flights 3 and 4 and, through connecting brackets 8, cause corresponding adjustment of the window panel. Any slack in the flexible member will be taken up by the single adjustment shown, since the tightening of the screwor bolt I 1 will draw the opposite end portions of the cable together so that uniform take-up in the two active flights will be provided. The bracket part I2 may be provided with side flanges 2! to define a chamber for guiding and receiving the bracket part IE to reinforce the connector which has a guided movement over the idle flight II as limited by the adjacent supporting pulleys. The flexible member is shown in the form of a ribbon, but obviously may be round or otherwise shaped in cross section.

While the foregoing description has been given in detail it is obvious that the inventive principles herein involved are capable of assuming other physical embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A slack take-up connector for joining the 3 ends of a flexible member to form an endless power transmitting member, the opposing terminal portions of the flexible member being arranged at the opposite sides of a parallel flight portion, a bracket part carried on each terminal portion, one bracket part having an opening through which the said one flight extends, and means slidably connecting the bracket parts for relative movement in taking up slack in the flexible member.

2.A slack take-up connector for joining the ends of a flexible member to form an endless power transmitting member, the opposing terminal portions of the flexible member being arranged at the opposite sides of a parallel flight portion, a bracket part carried on each terminal portion, one bracket part having an opening through which said one flight extends, and the companion bracket part telescoping the first bracket part.

3. A connector for joining opposing terminals of a flexible member at opposite sides of an intermediate flight portion to constitute an endless power transmission for a closure regulator, comprising bracket parts secured to the two terminal portions at opposite sides of said intermediate portion with one bracket part having guiding support on such intermediate portion, with means arranged on one side of the intermediate portion and adjustably connecting the two bracket parts for taking up any slack in the flexible member.

4. A slack take-up connector for joining the ends of a flexible member to form an endless power transmitting member, the opposing terminal portions of the flexible member being arranged at the opposite sides of a parallel flight portion, a bracket part carried by one terminal portion and guidingly embracing the parallel portion, a bracket part carried by the other terminal portion and slidably connected to the first bracket portion, and means adjustably securing said slidably related bracket parts for taking up slack in the flexible member.

ANTHONY C. SCINTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 884,100 Meacham et al Apr. 7, 1908 1,055,156 Fitzgerald Mar. 4, 1913 1,198,138 Lovell Sept. 12, 1916 1,206,052 Ternstedt Nov. 28, 1916 1,245,882 Davis Nov. 6, 191? 2,168, 52 Brauchler Aug. 1, 1939 2,391,073 Rappl Dec. 18, 1945 2,432,799 Rappl Dec. 16, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 33,876 Switzerland Dec. 7, 1905 581,285 Germany July 25, 1933 

